The present disclosure relates generally to mechanical post-harvest plant material processing devices for separating and/or fractionating undesirable plant matter (i.e., undesired plant material) from desirable plant matter (i.e., desired plant material). In particular, mechanical post-harvest plant material processing devices that do not require removal and reinsertion of plant material are described. Further, the described mechanical post-harvest plant material processing devices can include interchangeable post-harvest processing features and/or additional or alternative post-harvest processing features adapted to increase efficacy in trimming dry plant material during separation and/or fractionation of undesirable plant matter from desirable plant matter.
Known mechanical post-harvest plant matter processing devices are not entirely satisfactory for the range of applications in which they are employed. For example, many existing devices do not include automatic mechanical features, such as electrically powered motors, which allow plants to be harvested using repetitive mechanical processes with minimal human labor. Further, some conventional post-harvest plant matter processing devices, particularly trimming devices that provide automatic mechanical operation, require plant material to be removed and reintroduced into the trimming device several times to fully separate the desired portion of plant material from the undesired portion of plant material.
For example, many devices include, substantially linear mechanisms that require plant material to be repeatedly sent through a trimming mechanism and output partially fractionated or separated plant material which must be reintroduced multiple times to adequately separate the desired portion of plant material from the undesired portion of plant material. Such systems require a great deal of continuous human attention and labor. Thus, there exists a need for a harvesting mechanism that obviates the need for this reintroduction mechanism through a cyclical and automated process that does not require consistent user intervention.
Additionally, many known mechanical post-harvest plant matter processing devices are not adequately equipped to trim dry plant material. Specifically, many existing devices are unable to retain plant material in a position where it can be processed when dry. Further, many existing devices do not have adequate mechanisms for handling stray particulate matter, which can cause messes and/or create fire hazards.
Moreover, many conventional devices lack adequate detachability and interchangeability of post-harvest processing mechanisms. As a result, many devices are unable to adapt to process disparate plant materials and/or perform disparate post-harvest processing tasks. For example, many devices relating to harvesting plants that produce harvestable buds or flowers, such as hops, are unable to subsequently grind the resultant crop or desired portion of the plant material down to more fine particulate matter, as may be desired. As a result, users are often required to purchase a wholly separate product for grinding plant matter. Thus, to achieve desired results, many conventional systems require users to use two or more separate machines, one for each individual post-harvest processing task. Thus, there exists a need for a device that may be adapted to each of these post-harvest processing tasks.
Thus, there exists a need for mechanical post-harvest plant matter processing devices that improve upon and advance the design of known post-harvest plant matter processing devices. Examples of new and useful mechanical post-harvest plant matter processing devices relevant to the needs existing in the field are discussed below.